Since I’ve been in this “improve reading” mode, I decided to purchases a book stand.  At first I thought I was going to just get a cheap stand that allows me to tilt my book up.  But then I saw the Jasmine Plus Book Stand I just had to have it.

Two in One

You actually end up getting two book stands.  One is designed to be placed on top of the bottom one to make a double stand for some hardcore reading.  But you can also take it off and use it as a standalone.

Sturdy

Compared to the other book stands out there this thing is pretty sturdy.  It’s not actually made out of wood (just looks like it), but it still is a very sturdy material.

The page holding clips are great.  You don’t have to worry about them tearing up your book, because they are coated in rubber.  The clips are also easy to adjust and get them out of the way, if you do not want to use them.

What to Use it For?

I have discovered this book stand is great for two things;  Just holding your book up while you are reading, including large textbooks, and it is wonderful for keeping a reference book open while working on something else.

For example I have been using this book to hold open some computer programming books, while I am working on programming.

If you are reading a small book, you can use the extra book stand because it is much smaller.

Negatives?

There are a few downsides to this product.

• It is not portable.  Some book stands are easily folded up and capable of being carried in a backpack.  This one one may be a bit too big for that.
• Big for a small desk.  If you have a small desk it can take up almost half the space when you are using the base stand and the add-on stand.
• Price. This thing was a bit expensive at $49.99 on Amazon.  There is a smaller and cheaper version of the stand, the Clover Book Stand, that is only $28.99.

You can find both the small (Clover Book Stand) and large (Jasmine Plus Book Stand) versions of the book stand at Amazon.com

My whole life, I thought that speed reading was impossible.  I dismissed anyone’s claim that they could read extremely fast, assuming that if they were reading that quickly they had to  sacrifice their comprehension of the material.  But when I started working through the book Breakthrough Rapid Reading.

I was a slow reader, but after one week I am already working my way to being an above average reader.

The Benefits of Reading Fast

Let’s compare someone who reads at the average college level and someone that can speed read.  The average college reading speed is 240-350 words per minute; we will assume 300. And a speed reader can reach speeds up to 2,000 words per minute; we will take a conservative speed of 1,000 words per minute.

Assuming that these two readers spend 2 hours a day reading for 300 days of the year, and assume that they are reading 400 page books.  After doing some number crunching, you discover the college level reader can read 77 books in a year, but in the same amount of time the speed reader would have read 257 books.

Now taking the assumption that reading gives you knowledge, you can see that the speed reader will have an advantage in life.  Even if you are not worried about acquiring more knowledge than other people, you can at least acquire the same amount of knowledge in a lot less time.

Note this scenario is a bit extreme, but it gets the point across.

My Reading Improvement

I have had the book for a week.  I usually wouldn’t write a review so quickly, but I am just absolutely amazed. I’m surprised of how much 1 week of speed reading practice has helped.  Before I tell you how much I have improved I will tell you where I started at in each of the three areas of reading.

Comprehension - This is how well you understand the material you are reading, and I would put myself at above average.  I usually have a very clear understanding of what I read.  And even though my reading speeds are increasing my ability to comprehend has not decreased, which disproves my previous misconception.

Retention - This is how well you remember what you read.  While I have an excellent ability to remember the concepts of the material, I am not that great at remembering names, new vocabulary and dates.   The book hasn’t helped with this much; however, it could be hard for me to tell the difference. (Note I am not even half way done with the book.)

Speed - This is where the book really helps you out.  I will admit that I was a slow reader. I was on the line of being a below average and an average reader, about 180 words per minute.  But after one week, I am passing the average college reader speed and going into the above average region, at 355 words per minute (I tested my speed right before writing this post).

Practice

This is not like a get rich scheme. You will not become a speed reader just by reading this book. It requires practice! There are reading drills and you must do them.  The book claims that if you drill 40 minutes a day for six weeks you will be reading approximately 800-1200 words per minute.  (The type of reading material will determine your maximum limit.)

Test Your Self – Discover your reading speed

Go ahead and test yourself.  Find a book, preferably nonfiction. And follow these steps.

1. Go here for an online stop watch.
2. Set it to count down for 3:00 minutes.  (Make sure you turn up your speakers.)
3. Find a starting point in your book.  A section that you have not read.
4. Start the count down and begin reading.  Read like you always do.  Don’t try to rush and act like you can read faster than you really can.  (Read a section that does not have graphs or odd typing.)
5. When the timer goes off make a mark where you stopped.
6. Now, count how many words are in 3 lines, then divide that number by 3 to determine the average words per line.
7. Count up the number of lines you read.  If it is less than half of a line don’t count it, and if it is more than half of a line count it.
8. Multiply the number of lines by the number of words in each line.  Then divide by 3 to get your words per minute.

Here’s the formula:  (words per line) x (lines read)/(minutes read[3])

How did you do?  Can you read faster than I can? Even if you are a naturally fast reader and are reading above 500 words per minute, there is still room for improvement.

If you are interested in learning how to speed read I highly suggest you purchase Breakthrough Rapid Reading by Peter Kump.  The book is only $11 at Amazon.  I really think speed reading can be life changing for anyone interested in a professional career.

I just ordered 5 books from amazon.  Thought I’d share what I will be reading the next few weeks.

How to Read a Book

Wait, how do you read a book if you can not read?  Yes the title is a bit of a paradox.  However, the subtitle reads “The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading,” and that seems like a better title.  The book discusses everything from reading literature to reading in the sciences.

Kindle Edition: No

Amazon link: How to Read a Book (A Touchstone book)

Breakthrough Rapid Reading

I have never had a speed reading course or I have never read a book on speed reading.  So I figured I’d try this book out.  The reviews on Amazon said that it really changed their lives.  Some mention going from reading 200 words per minute to over 1,000 wpm.

Kindle Edition: Yes (One reviewer said some of the worksheets are missing.)

Amazon link: Breakthrough Rapid Reading

The Oxford Guide to Library Research

Whether you know it or not, library science is having some big debates.  There are questions like how do libraries work with the internet and manage digital ebooks for ereaders.  While this book will be helpful for research, I also hope it gives an introduction to some library science issues.

Kindle Edition: Yes

Amazon link: The Oxford Guide to Library Research

Writing for Computer Science

Got this book for research purposes.  While it is for computer science, hopefully there will be general research advice that I can share with everyone in any research field.

Kindle Edition: Yes

Amazon link: Writing for Computer Science

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The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

I want to live a long and healthy life.  It should be a good reference book.  I’ve skimmed through most of it, and already have learned a few interesting things.  Did you know that dandelion (yes the weed that grows in your backyard) is actually  one of the healthiest leaf vegetables.

Kindle Edition: No

Amazon link: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why